"Master Jedi, . . . you asked to speak to me?" Zarvell asked, as he entered the room where Galadina was recovering.

She was starting to feel better and was able to get out of bed, but still needed lots of rest. She would soon be ready to make the trip back to Tython--just not quite yet.

But ever since her 'awakening' from the battle with Dianiss at the Sith Temple, she felt different--not in a bad way, maybe even in a good way.

She found herself thinking back to when she was a young child, prior to being 'discovered' by the Jedi, and was first showing signs of sensitivity to the Force. As she got older, her abilities got naturally stronger. After she became a Jedi youngling and started training and practicing, her abilities got MUCH stronger, and much quicker. Every day she felt more alive and more in tune with all life around her.

But before all that, before the Jedi, back on Ryloth, she never imagined all that was possible with the Force. For that young girl, the notion of 'seeing' things that others couldn't--even though she was physically blind--was the most powerful thing imaginable.

As a Padawan, and later as a Jedi Knight, she would think back to the little girl she'd once been who felt incredibly powerful, and smile at the blissful ignorance of her childhood.  The little girl she once was had no idea how much more the Force really was compared to what she knew of it then.

And now, here on Dromund Kaas, she was feeling those same feelings of nostalgia. Now, here, today, she was feeling the Force flow all around her and through her in ways that she had never imagined just a few days before.

It was as if the Jedi Master of only a few days ago had been like a child all along, thinking she knew the Force--until suddenly the Force was opened up to her perception in a way she never imagined. And just like when she would think back with fondness to the little girl she once was who THOUGHT she knew the Force, today she was thinking back to the day she landed on this planet and realized that on THAT day, her connection to the Force was like that of a child compared to what she was now experiencing. It was breathtaking and frightening all at once.

"Lord Zarvell, yes I did. Thank you." she answered.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better." she replied. "Maybe better than ever in my life. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Go on."

"I've always been strong in the Force. But now, I feel like I never really was . . . until now. Something . . . something about me . . . has changed. I want to know what happened. I've spoken to Zedemm, Kari, Denevee . . . but they all just told me I should ask you. So . . . I'm asking."

Zarvell took a deep breath. He knew that this conversation was inevitable. But like any discussion one doesn't look forward to having, it came sooner than he was prepared for.

"Dianiss saved your life, but did so at a cost. Long ago, Tulak Hord crafted an attack that would kill someone, completely, to the very last cell . . . unless that person was sensitive to the Force, in which case the attack left a window of opportunity in which it could be reversed. This aspect of his work was not previously known to us, but evidently your Master Casei--in a magnificently brilliant feat of discovery, I should add--divined that it could be done by activating the defensive relic while communing with the victim through a strong Force bond."

"But . . . Dianiss and I...."

"Did not share a strong Force bond, I know." he interrupted. "To create one, Dianiss used another ancient technique, one which forged a bond between the two of you and increased your connections to the Force. As you were probably already aware, Dianiss is quite powerful, even apart from the presence of Lord Kallig. I suspect that now you have a keen, first-hand understanding of just how powerful."

"Before you ask," Zarvell continued, sensing the sudden concern, "Denevee assures me that you did not acquire any of his essence, and I surmise that this is because you are not one of his descendants, as Dianiss is. This is a very good thing, by the way, because it would be truly tragic for the beauty of your inner light to be tainted by his darkness."

Dina's expression reverted to relief.  "So . . . this is Dianiss' power that I'm feeling?"

"Hers and yours, actually, . . . combined in such a way that it is more than simply the sum."

"Is it . . . permanent?"

"Based on what we know about the ritual, yes it is." Zarvell paused a moment, and added, "I would prefer it were not so, but for reasons unrelated to your current condition."

Dina took a deep breath. This was not at all what she expected to happen when she leaped to Denevee's defense. And there was something that didn't make sense about all of this, which she couldn't quite work out...until it suddenly occurred to her.

"Wait . . . if she created a Force bond with me, why don't I feel her presence?  I should be able to, right?"

Zarvell had a sad look on his face. "As I mentioned, there was a cost. Even with the best of medical care, it is uncertain when she will awaken from her coma, if ever."

He paused for a moment to let it all sink in. From her expression, she understood, but was still not satisfied. "There is something else you wish to ask." he said.

She hesitated.

"You may ask me anything." he reassured her. "As I told you when we first met: you are safe here."

Dina took a deep breath herself, trying to put into words the feeling that was nagging her in the back of her mind.

"I . . . I'm kind of competitive. I don't like to fail. I try really hard not to. If I do, I always try my best to learn from it, so that it never happens again. But this time I really, REALLY failed. We shouldn't even be talking to each other--I should be dead right now."

"That, my dear, is a matter of perspective . . . one which I do not share. But go on."

"I feel like I'm a Pad- . . . no, not even a Padawan--an Initiate again. I'm feeling all this power, and I'm not sure how to control it. I'm . . . I'm a little bit afraid of it. But I feel like, just maybe, if I could learn to control it and really use it, I could prevent something like this from happening again."

Zarvell had an odd smile on his face, like he knew a secret. "What?" she asked.

"Well, actually, no." he responded. "You would NOT have been able to prevent yourself from being killed by the Death Strike, but . . . in fact, the solution to that problem has already been set in motion. A topic for another time."

He put his hand to his beard and stroked it a bit, as if deep in thought. "Master Jedi..."

"Dina. Please." she interrupted.

"Yes, of course, Dina. You'll forgive me if I find it difficult to be so familiar with someone so very . . . extraordinary. I have observed your combat skill in action, and find it remarkable in both its effectiveness and in its uniqueness. I must ask: what was it that caused you to choose this path?"

Dina stopped to think about it a bit. "I suppose it comes, ultimately, from being small and weak when I was young. I wanted to turn that weakness into a strength."

"Then I would suggest that a new path lies before you, should you choose to follow it; one in which you instead turn your strength into a strength."

Dina's puzzled look was obvious. "I don't understand."

"Then I'll demonstrate. Relax and clear your mind. Visualize the entire room, and the space beyond."

She sat in a comfortable position and did as he asked.

"Observe the presence of yourself and those around you, including me. Think about the dichotomy of your own blindness and how using the Force allows you to perceive things around you. Now mentally invert that condition in your mind, so that the Force obstructs things around you from perceiving you. Project that blindness all around you, with yourself at its center."

After a few moments he added, "Very good. Now . . . maintain that focus for a few moments more."

Zarvell called outside the room. "Drellik, could you come in? Master Galadina wishes to speak with you."

As soon as Drellik entered the room, his confusion was obvious. Looking around the room, he asked, "My Lord? My apologies, I took your meaning to be that she was here with you. Where might I locate her?"

Zarvell smiled. "Dina, you are quick study, indeed. Relax your concentration now. Visualize yourself in the room as you were."

Drellik was startled to see Dina appear, sitting on the bed, as if out of thin air. "Master Jedi! I . . . didn't see you there."

"Remarkable." Zarvell mused. "That, my dear Dina, was the use of the Force for stealth, and I have never known of an apprentice--even a Miraluka, for it seems to come much more naturally for your people--do it so well on the first attempt. Drellik, thank you for your assistance. I do apologize for the deception."

"Not at all, Sir." he replied, and left to return to whatever he was doing.

"So, Dina...." Zarvell said, still smiling at her. "You're a Miraluka and VERY strong in the Force, you already eschew the use of heavy armour, and you've all but mastered stealth in a matter of minutes. It seems that all you need is one of these--and some training, and some practice."

He tossed her his lightsaber. It was an odd high-tech design, nothing like she had ever encountered before. But more importantly, it was the longer-hilted type that emitted a blade from both ends--the kind used by Sith Assassins like Zarvell.

...and by Jedi Shadows.

Dina laughed, thinking back to her days before becoming a Padawan. "You sound like Master Annanya . . . or Master Shan." She held it in her hands and felt the weight of it, and the heft, thinking back to how she had always preferred the smaller, lighter hilt of a single-bladed saber. Those allowed her to stay fast and agile, so she could more easily duck, jump, and dodge.

But now, somehow, this bigger saber felt right. As if with it, she could stand up to anything without having to resort to all the acrobatics and the Echani counter-attack techniques. Instead, she could use the power of the Force to protect herself . . . and others. "But I think I'm beginning to understand the appeal." she added.

"Well then, with your leave, we'll continue your training."

--

The next day, Galadina was feeling much better, and although Dianiss had still not woken up yet, she was starting to show stronger vital signs and increased brain activity that looked promising. Meanwhile, Dina was passing the time by practicing with Zarvell's saber in a training room at the basement of the residence. It still felt a little larger and heavier than it needed to be, but there was something familiar and comforting about it that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Master Galadina?" It was Zedemm's voice coming from the doorway.

"Yes?" she answered, as she heard the door shut . . . and the hum of two lightsabers activating.

"PROTECT YOURSELF!"